Pebble Beach: Historic cars gleam at the Concours d'Elegance

PEBBLE BEACH &GT;&GT; The cars at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance could be called dream machines, curving lines and gleaming chrome reflecting the opulence of the owner, when each meticulously hand-crafted roadster above all represented a sense of supreme elegance.

Owner of "Best of Show" for the Concours d'Elegance 2014, the 64th year of what is considered the country's premier rare and historic auto show, was Jon Shirley's 1954 Ferrari 375 MM Scaglietti Coupe.

"It feels great to win," said Shirley.

A resident of Medina, Washington, Shirley received congratulations from rare car fans among hundreds gathered in front of the Pebble Beach Lodge and the golf course's famous 18th green.

A total of 218 rare and historic vehicles were on display.

Shirley's car is one of the few post-World War II entries to win the coveted prize. He said he acquired the silver-colored racer with the red leather seats in 1995 in a rather sad state. The car had been disassembled.

"I found it in separate pieces in Paris, France in an underground garage," he said. "It had been sitting there for 25 years. I entered this car in the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance back in 1998, and at that time it won best car in its class."

Asked what he most prized about the Ferrari, Shirley said its physical beauty and power.

"I love the styling of the car, but I also love the engineering, because it's a powerful machine. It's a race car. I've entered it and driven it in road rallies, one in Colorado."

Shirley is retired, a former employee of Microsoft Corp. He said the Ferrari can do up to 140 miles per hour. Asked if he ever had the car at that speed, he responded, "Off the record — yes!"

First held in 1950, the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance features many different classes of historic cars including "Most Elegant Enclosed Car," and "Most Elegant Open Car." Awards are given for best of each class, from European and American Classics, to Mercedes pre-World War II vehicles, Ferrari Grand Touring cars, post-World War II Classic vehicles and a host of others.

Some of the vehicles have been restored while others appear in their original condition.

Asked what type of person would seek to acquire, restore and enter a classic car in the Concours d'Elegance, Randy Still of Oklahoma said a passion for cars is a good starter. Still, who exhibited a 1930 Ruxton Sedan, disagreed that you have to be ultra-rich to participate.

"Some people bought cars at just the right time to get a good price, while others may have inherited their car," he said.

"Back in the day the car cost $1,200 and now it's worth probably $250,000," he said. "I paid $100,000 for it."

Goyne said he did restoration work on the car himself thanks to his mechanical knowledge as the owner of a machine shop. Asked why steam power for cars never caught on, Goyne said the early technology was simply impractical.

"To build up steam to power it you have to burn gas like in a Coleman stove," he said. "It heats the water and makes steam. It used tons of gas, eight miles per gallon of gas, and one mile per gallon of water."

The annual show has to date raised over $16 million for local charities and includes a number of related events including the Pebble Beach Tour d'Elegance, RetroAuto, Pebble Beach Motoring Classic and the Pebble Beach Auction.